SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CAYO, Sun. May 3, 2015–This coming weekend will witness some huge games, as three teams have already clinched a playoff spot and are now battling for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, while three other teams are fighting to make the playoffs. Playoffs will kick off on Friday, May 22, with 2 semifinal games, followed by 2 games on Saturday, May 23. Both the semifinals and the finals will be a best-of-three series. Fans are reminded that all games have a live webcast with the game scores, play-by-play analyses and the box scores. Fans can follow every game live on our webpage, as scores are in real time. The NEBL webpage also contains news, team standings and player statistics, and it can be found at nebl.sportingpulse.net

Dangriga Warriors falls short at home, as San Pedro Tiger Sharks hold on to 2-point win

On Thursday night, Dangriga Warriors (5-6) concluded the last game of their 3-game stretch against the top 3 teams in the league, where they fell short to the defending champions, as San Pedro Tiger Sharks was able to get the 81-79 victory at Ecumenical College in Dangriga Town. San Pedro jumped out to a great start, extending their lead to 21 pts in the third quarter; but the home team rallied behind their fans to take a two pt lead in the fourth quarter, only to fall short by two pts. San Pedro Tiger Sharks was led by Milton James, who finished with a double-double with 23 pts and 13 rebs; while Darwin “Puppy” Leslie scored 22 pts and grabbed 6 rebs. Ashton Edwards and Raul Roches scored 14 and 10 pts, respectively. Brandon Flowers was the top scorer for Dangriga Warriors, as he had the best game of his season, netting the game high 25 pts to go with 6 rebs; while Daniel “Buddy” Nolberto finished with a great game, tallying 20 pts, 5 rebs, 6 assists and 5 steals. Edgar Mitchell scored 13 pts with 6 assists and 3 steals, and Davis Guzman scored 8 pts and 6 rebs.

Belize City No Limit remains in playoff hunt, while Cayo Western Ballaz loses 3 straight

On Friday night, Cayo Western Ballaz (7-3) traveled to Belize City to take on Belize City No Limit (5-6) at Birds Isle, where the home team was able to secure a much needed 77-66 victory in order to keep their hopes alive for the fourth and final playoff spot. Belize City No Limit was led by Gregory “Chippy” Rudon, who recorded a double-double with the game high 23 pts and 10 rebs to go with 2 steals; and Brandon Rogers netted 19 pts while grabbing 5 caroms. Rhetton Belisle and Kevin Domingo scored 19 and 9 pts, respectively for Belize City No Limit. In a losing effort, Cayo Western Ballaz was led by Elvis Usher, Jr., who tallied 20 pts and 3 rebs; while Kurt “Chengo” Burgess finished with another double-double of 15 pts and 10 rebs to go with 3 assists and 3 steals. Akeem Watters scored 17 pts to go with 7 rebs. The loss has sent the top team in the league reeling, as they have lost 3 games in a row, where they can now fall all the way to the #3 seed going into the playoffs.

Also on Friday night, Orange Walk Running Rebels (1-9) hosted the Belmopan Red Taigaz (7-3) at the Orange Walk Multi-Purpose Complex in Orange Walk Town, where the visitors were able to come out with a 75-70 victory. Belmopan Red Taigaz was led by Stephen “Muerte” Williams, who had the game high with 23 pts, shooting 6-10 from behind the arc; while Jarrel “Bird” Velasquez scored 18 pts to go with 6 rebs. Farron Louriano and Jamal Harris finished the game with 14 and 10 pts, respectively. Orange Walk Running Rebels’ top scorer was Sheldon Williams, who had 18 pts to go with 4 rebs; and Roger Reneau came off the bench to score 16 pts and grab 3 boards; while Ian Carcamo had 14 pts and 5 rebs. With the win, Belmopan Red Taigaz controls their own destiny to secure home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Playoff scenarios

1] San Pedro Tiger Sharks (7-3) – will remain as the #1 seed if they can win their remaining 2 games verses Belize City No Limit and Orange Walk Running Rebels.

2] Cayo Western Ballaz (7-3) – will be the #2 seed if they can win their remaining 2 games against Orange Walk Running Rebels and Belmopan Red Taigaz. They will be the #1 seed if they can win their remaining 2 games and San Pedro Tiger Sharks loses 1 of their remaining 2 games.

3] Belmopan Red Taigaz (7-3) – needs to win their remaining 2 games verses Belize Yellow Pages Hurricanes and Cayo Western Ballaz to be the #1 seed and San Pedro needs to lose 1 of their remaining 2 games. If they win their remaining 2 games, they will be the #2 seed, if San Pedro also wins their last 2 games. If all 3 teams end the season with an 8-4 record, San Pedro Tiger Sharks presently holds the tie-breaker over Cayo Western Ballaz and Belmopan Red Taigaz, due to points differential, and San Pedro would be the #1 seed.

5] Belize City No Limit (4-6) – must win their last game verses San Pedro Tiger Sharks and Dangriga must lose their last game against Belize Hurricanes and Belize Hurricanes must lose against Belmopan Red Taigaz in order for Belize City No Limit to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot.

6] Belize Yellow Pages Hurricanes (4-6) – must win their remaining 2 games against Belmopan Red Taigaz and Dangriga Warriors to make the playoffs as the #4 seed. If all three teams end up with a 5-7 record, presently Belize Yellow Pages Hurricanes holds the tie-breaker over Dangriga Warriors and Belize City No Limit.

On Friday night, Belmopan Red Taigaz (7-3) will travel to Belize City to take on Belize Yellow Pages Hurricanes (4-6) at the Belize Elementary Gym at 9:00 p.m. On Saturday night, Cayo Western Ballaz (7-3) will host the Orange Walk Running Rebels (1-9) at the Sacred Heart College Auditorium in San Ignacio at 9:00 p.m.; while Belize City No Limit (5-6) will travel to the island to take on the defending champions, San Pedro Tiger Sharks (7-3) at the San Pedro High School Auditorium at 9:00 p.m. Dangriga Warriors (5-6) will get a bye this week.